Mixed in 1980

Chapter 322 Britain Admits Defeat

Peng Dingkang trembled, narrowed his eyes slightly, and gritted his teeth as he asked, "How many pounds does Chen Fan have? Do you have a specific number?"

"No, but there are definitely a lot!"

Shen Bi's voice came through the microphone: "He used his company to borrow money from our British-owned banks, and his deposits to borrow money from foreign banks."

"The funds are scattered across various banks, and no one knows the exact amount, but it is certainly a considerable sum."

"He already had a lot of cash!"

After hanging up the phone, Peng Dingkang's eyes darkened, and he had a bad feeling. It was he who had proposed the plan against Chen Fan.

It began to be implemented long before he took office.

Now Chen Fan has turned against Britain, devastating the pound and causing Britain to suffer huge losses. Britain was forced to withdraw from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, becoming a laughing stock worldwide.

He has to take this responsibility!

She picked up the phone again and called Chen Fan's home. The maid answered and said that Chen Fan was already resting and that she had been instructed not to disturb him.

After hanging up the phone and cursing the British national essence, Peng Dingkang called Zhou Wenya again. Zhou Wenya clearly told him that the delegation was already in England and was negotiating.

Peng Dingkang then remembered the Chinese delegation. He had heard Richard say before that the Chinese were making exorbitant demands and went to England to make wishes.

It seems now that it wasn't as simple as making a wish.

They had planned this all along, just waiting to blow up the pound and seize control of Britain's vitals to extract benefits.

Thinking about the terms and conditions, Peng Dingkang couldn't help but smash the phone, curse for a long time, then took out a cigarette, lit it, and sat down helplessly.

He came to Hong Kong with a grand plan.

Once the contract is signed, there are many things that cannot be done. As the last governor of Hong Kong, he may very well become a mediocre governor.

He listlessly puffed on his cigarette, staring at the television.

Late at night in Hong Kong, at 6 pm in England, the exchange rate of the pound sterling fell from 1 pound to 2 US dollars to 1 pound to 1.3 pounds.

A 35% plunge!

Pengdingkang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although the exchange rate market operates 24 hours a day, the time banks provide for foreign exchange trading services to their customers is limited.

At 6 PM, the bank forced employees to close. Let's just get through today first. If we can persuade Chen Fan tomorrow, maybe we can still salvage the situation.

"Day 1 is over!"

At the mountaintop villa, Li Hongying and her family gathered together, each with a smile on their face.

They had an excellent relationship with Chen Fan and provided him with tremendous support, mortgaging many of their family assets to secure a loan of £10 billion.

They were the first to sell off their stock, and all the proceeds have been cashed out.

The pound plummeted by 35%, and today's profit reached a staggering $7 million. In all my years in business, I've never made such a lucrative deal.

Li Hongying smiled and said, "Everyone should go back and rest. Today is just the beginning. The exchange rate of the pound will drop sharply tomorrow."

"The British won't be able to be so arrogant anymore."

Liu Jianxiong stayed at home, a rare occurrence, with only his wife by his side. He had already sent away his previous women, cutting all ties completely.

Chen Fan is right, it's just a toy!

Even the most beautiful toy is still a toy. We shouldn't let a toy disrupt the family, especially the kind of toy that dares to cause trouble in the backyard.

Toys that don't behave should be replaced. Just like Chen Fan said, seeking thrills is a game, and it wouldn't be a problem to organize a competition similar to Miss World.

"It's a pity we didn't invest enough!"

At this point, Liu Jianxiong sighed. Most of his assets were in the former Soviet Union, and this time he only borrowed 2 million pounds, which was less than what others had.

"It's quite a bit of money that I got for free."

His wife was quite satisfied. They turned £2 million into $4 million, making a net profit of over $1 million. Moreover, the pound was still falling, so the profit was very considerable.

"There's only one chance, it's such a waste to only make so little. We need to hurry and cash out our assets from the former Soviet Union so we'll have enough funds for future opportunities," Liu Jianxiong sighed.

Hua Sanshao also sighed, "We haven't invested enough!"

Like Liu Jianxiong, he had many assets in the former Soviet Union and hadn't had time to cash them out. He originally planned to persuade his family to invest together.

My family went through a major crisis and was on the verge of bankruptcy, so we haven't been involved in high-risk investments since.

"Within two years, we must cash out the assets of the former Soviet Union."

With a sigh, Hua Sanshao embraced the two women beside him and began to celebrate. He had invested too little but earned a lot, with profits approaching 2 million US dollars.

That's 15 billion Hong Kong dollars!
He made so much money in one day, he had to celebrate. If it weren't for the event tomorrow, he would have loved to party all night.

Sunday, September 13, 1992!
At 4 p.m., Spark Investment held another press conference. This press conference was very simple. Chen Fan did not even attend, and Zhou Wenya represented him.

The statement was very simple: "As instructed by Mr. Chen, Spark Investment will sell off another £50 billion today, and may continue tomorrow!"

This has once again stirred up a huge wave!

Many people thought that Chen Fan had already defeated the British and that today should be a celebration, but unexpectedly, he launched a new round of attacks.

It's a fight to the death!
My impression of him remains unchanged; he's still as petty as ever, and he'll pull out a knife at the slightest provocation.

But that was really satisfying to do!
The only ones who were anxious were the British. Whether it was Peng Dingkang, Richard, or Shen Bi, they all wanted to find Chen Fan as soon as they woke up in the morning, hoping that he would stop selling. Without exception, they couldn't find him.

Chen Fan simply disappeared and moved into a large penthouse in Central with his two wives.

"Have you come all the way to Hong Kong to play hide-and-seek?"

Lazy by the French windows, Miss Zhao stretched comfortably: "The British guy is looking for you like crazy, don't you want to see him?"

Chen Fan turned on the TV, which was playing "The Great Era." He casually replied, "It's all beyond our control. It's better not to meet than to meet."

Miss Zhao teased, "With your personality, you should meet them right now and give them a good slap in the face."

"It's nothing yet, it's no fun to be proven wrong now."

Chen Fan leaned back and crossed his legs: "Just wait, the moment of truth will come when the negotiations with the higher-ups are over."

"How long will it take?" Miss Zhao asked again.

"If I were British, I would sign the contract today. The longer it drags on, the greater the loss. If it drags on for a few days, the pound will really become worthless," Chen Fan said sarcastically.

Individuals selling off pounds is not the real problem; what is truly frightening is the chain reaction it can trigger.

International speculators are cashing out and leaving the market, and businessmen investing in Britain are also withdrawing funds. This will undoubtedly be a fatal blow to the British economy.

Every time Chen Fan sold off his assets, it triggered a chain reaction, with ordinary people flocking to banks to exchange their money for foreign currency in an effort to preserve their wealth.

"I'm afraid the British won't be able to swallow their pride and will try to hold on a little longer." Miss Zhao smiled slightly, raising the corners of her mouth.

She actually hopes the British will hold on.

The longer it holds on, the more the pound depreciates, and the greater the profit. This is not impossible, after all, it is an old empire and a former world hegemon.

"What's the point of saving face when all the money's gone? The British aren't stupid. Just wait, there'll definitely be good news tonight."

Sure enough, at 11 p.m. in Hong Kong and 4 p.m. in England, Chen Fan received a call from Sun Shaojie. The British guy had given in.

It's not that the British don't want to shoulder the burden, it's that they can't!
The exchange rate of the pound to the dollar has become 1:1, a sharp drop of 50%, and in just two days, the assets of the British people have shrunk by half.

How much land did you acquire in total?

Chen Fan was unaware of the terms reached above, nor did he need to ask. He only cared about the land controlled by British capital.

Early in the planning stages, Xinghuo Investment had thoroughly investigated the data. British capital controlled a considerable amount of land and buildings. Chen Fan didn't care much for houses, but he absolutely needed land.

"21 plots of land!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan burst into laughter: "You guys are really professional at negotiations, and you've gone all out. You've got two-thirds of the land that the British company was holding."

Sun Shaojie laughed and said, "The key is to seize the British's lifeline. If they don't agree to our conditions, their financial system will completely collapse."

Chen Fan then asked, "What about the price?"

"20% off the market price!"

"Pfft...haha..."

Hong Kong's property market has been rising continuously, with land premiums being extremely high. You can't even buy land at market price, yet the British are still offering 20% ​​off.

It seems they were truly driven to desperation: "When will the contract be signed? This matter cannot be delayed."

Sun Shaojie nodded and said, "We have already signed the contract. You need to handle the land transfer yourself. We'll go to your company tomorrow morning. Have someone prepare the contract in advance."

"Do not worry!"

“There’s another matter. The British aren’t without conditions. After today, our people will stop selling pounds, and the loan will be repaid in three days,” Sun Shaojie added.

Chen Fan hesitated for a moment, feeling it wasn't worth it.

The exchange rate has already collapsed. Even if you don't sell your shares, the pound's exchange rate will continue to fall slowly. If you repay the loan after a while, you will make a larger profit.

Once the loan is repaid, the British need to use US dollars to buy British pounds. With enough foreign exchange, the British can quickly stabilize the exchange rate market.

But if they didn't agree, the British certainly wouldn't compromise: "Fine, once the land transfer is complete, I'll pay back the loan."

Sun Shaojie nodded and said, "Then it's settled. I got in thanks to you this time. The higher-ups said they owe you a favor."

"You're too kind. I also benefited from it."

Chen Fan smiled, hung up the phone, and immediately called Zhou Wenya, asking her to prepare the land transfer contract and come to the company first thing tomorrow morning.

Then he called Hua Sanshao and Da Liu separately, asking them to come over tomorrow so they could see the British people's true colors after their defeat.

The two were in high spirits.

Growing up in Hong Kong, especially after starting my own business, I've had to put up with the British a lot. Sometimes, even when I was about to enjoy something, the British could take it away with just a word.

Now that we've taken a piece of the British, we must see their true colors.

Hua Sanshao suggested, "Comrade Chen, this is a historic moment. The signing process must be broadcast live so that the people of Hong Kong can have a good laugh."

"You arrange it!"

After hanging up the phone, Chen Fan called Li Hongying again. The Li family had put in a lot of effort in this financial battle, and he would definitely have to attend tomorrow.

Besides witnessing the failures of the British, we also want a share of the profits.

(End of this chapter)